Advancements in assisted and autonomous driving and car-sharing strategies allow increased spatial-mobility within the vehicle cabin. In terms of where and how the vehicle occupants and objects can be located and positioned, various configurations may be available in future vehicles. Currently, very little information is known about occupant location.
With New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) evaluations and star ratings the position of the occupant is known and set up specifically for the test scenario. However, occupants can be larger, smaller, out of position and in various other possible locations when responses by the vehicle such as air bags are activated.
Conventional vehicle sensor systems may not include inputs, processing, and control necessary to determine characteristics of the occupants to account for increased spatial-mobility. Vehicle sensors and actuators will need to be implemented with flexibility and adaptability to account for increased spatial-mobility.
It would be desirable to implement enhanced occupant seating inputs to occupant protection control system for the future car.